Basic Race Report...

Wow - what a trip. This one has been circled on the calendar for most of the summer. We knew we would be racing this weekend. Then in May, it was suggested this be a great weekend to go out for a track day - so everyone planned, and prepared a budget. Then, on a whim, I thought it would be cool to invite an internet friend, a very passionate forum poster on Sportbike.Com, up to help out during these festivities. The weekend was a success beyond my wildest dreams...

This adventure actually began the previous weekend, and even before. For my own ride, the trusty Y2K version R1, I wanted to ensure the massive head shake that can be generated from aggressive acceleration out of the slower turns was calmed. Clearly, a steering damper was in order. Looking over the market, I settled on the Scott unit for a couple reasons. The first was the amount of adjustability available. The unit allows low and high speed damping adjustments over a very wide range, along with the ability to execute the damping over a varied range of motion. The second consideration was there was no drilling necessary for installation. Replace the steering head bolt with a Scott part, and the unit attaches to it. The last consideration was cost - all of the "quality" units were in the ballpark of the Scott unit - so cost wasn't really hard to justify.

The next piece included tires. I was planning to use a set of 208GP DOT racing tires that I got last year. But Dunlop has released an updated model in the 209GP, built in the UK. After looking them over, I sprang for a set. The 208s would be given to John for him to have fun on. The last piece was related more to maintenance than performance. With well over 17K hard miles on the clock, the chain and sprockets were starting to show signs of strain. So a new RK-EK chain, and some sprockets were ordered to ensure there would not be any driveline issues at 170 miles an hour. Good thing as the countershaft sprocket really was in need of replacement. The final touch was a set of Galfer braided lines to take a bit of the vagueness out of the five year old stockers.

The SV was pretty much ready to go except for normal pre-race maintenance (oil and filter change, clean and inspect, adjust as necessary), or so I thought. When I took off the lower to get it ready for an oil change, the head of an engine mount bolt was sitting in the belly pan! Raber to the rescue – he took the stock part, sized up some stock and provided not one, but three spares! Also, we have been having rear tire usage issues - primarily me tearing up rears at the abrasive/bumpy tracks. All kinds of air pressures and suspension adjustments were to no avail. Pieces needed to change. After doing some research, I decided the rear spring was too stiff. Talking with Lindemann Engineering, I get a spring ordered, but it won't arrive until the day before we leave - so it will have to be installed and tested during the track day. A fresh rear slick was already mounted, and the previous front would be fine for the track day. New rubber will be put on directly before the 6 hour.

Everyone else had things to do in order to prepare. John was putting on my donated set of 208s, changing ride height to adjust for the 70 series front tire on his R6, and the usual track day removal of breakables. Andy installed a PC-II, and had Mike Velasco set it up on his dyno - wow - that is a story in itself. He was also going the 209GP tire route on his VFR. Scott's prep was minimal on his "track whore" F2 - change the oil and call it good. Alan needed his bike during the week, so it would wait until Wednesday before final prep and loading. Most of the prep was performed at my place on Saturday and Sunday...everyone was starting to get jazzed.

Several attempts at a suitable trailer to haul bikes fell through, then Darren scored big time with a 16 foot fully enclosed package. But when he brought it over on Tuesday evening, there were no D-Rings installed for tie-downs. Alan and I headed down to Home Depot, and bought 20 half-inch eye bolts, and spent Tuesday night drilling and installing the bolts in an arrangement that would hold 5 bikes. This is the reason I wanted to load on Tuesday - catch any gotchas that would need another day to resolve. So now we load on Wednesday... Loading went without a hitch. The race SV, Scott's F2, Andy's VFR, John's R6 and Alan's R6 are loaded, and Darren takes off with the precious cargo. My R1 would be riding with me in the van... Not much work was going to get done on Thursday - everyone is ready for the trek east!

The next day would be very full... Justin was heading up from Phoenix to make the trek out with us, and get a glimpse of how Clowns have fun. Denise was coming over with Scott and Alan. Justin got in around lunch time, I get off work around 2:30, and we head out to Andy's place of work. Scott meets up and we start the caravan east on I-90. As we head out I-90, Justin is awed by the scenery. Due to the early take-off, we wait until Moses Lake to eat – which is around 6:00. A leisurely dinner at Bob’s Grill at the Inn, and as we make the final leg to Spokane, Raber and Megan catch up to us – the team is whole.

Bright and early, everyone shows up out to the track. Darren beat everyone, and we get unloaded. This was Justin's first glimpse of the magnitude of this track day. Of course there were a lot of guys, but when you crack open a trailer and there is a bike per person - that's a lot of bikes! There is little work to finish, but everyone checks and sets their tire pressures, and Graham wires up his grips to make sure they don't move around on him while he's going a buck-fifty. The exception to everyone's rule is Scott, who enlists the help from Justin to create a mount for Scott's bullet cam. Video footage from this track day will be a reality!

Typical of leisurely pace at Spokane, the track doesn't take bikes until around 10:00. Everyone is anxious, and piddling around. Denise and Megan wanted to look out for their investments (myself and Raber), and were talked into corner working out in turn 2. For this, we were very grateful. Number one, it helped me feel safer knowing we'd have some flag work out there - and - they took the cameras! On this day, their camera eyes would be very good!

I told everyone that I would lead them around for the first three laps, if they wanted. Only the SV and John's R6 had warmers put on, everyone else was going out on cold tires. The track is set hot, and out we go... I open the R1 out to about a buck-thirty, and let everyone catch up - damn that bike is fun. I ease through turns 1 and 2 - everyone waves to the girls, and I set about trying to show the rest some lines. The third lap in the bag, I go have some fun.

We get back in and the grins are ear to ear. John banged his knees on the pavement for the first time. Raber was riding loose. Graham and Alan are having fun on their street bikes, and Scott was having a blast whipping his track whore fun toy. I circulate around with everyone to see if anyone is needing tips - but everyone is happy, which is cool. Justin was picking his vantage points from turns 8 to 10 and points in between.

Next time out, I do some following to see how everyone is making it around. It was fun to see the approaches and different styles everyone used to solve their various cornering problems. Graham sort of ran away from everyone while in this mode - several sprint races and track days, an eight hour and a six hour under his belt - he knew his way around just fine. After the session, I talk to a few of the guys and offer little bits of advice. Enter this turn wider, ride under the bubble, let the exit drift out there and so on. During this off-session, two guys in the fast group fall at the exit of turn 8, a 120 mph sweeper, and one of them requires some medical attention. This shuts the track down for quite a while, I decide to start the spring replacement for the SV.

We get the bike up on stands and Justin gets his hands dirty and digs in. Off with the rear wheel, some interference near the lower pivots, and he holds the shock in his hands in about 20 minutes. The spring comes off, and the new one in another 5, and the bike is back together in another 20. We set up the sag for me, and I try to get a feel for some revised damping settings. The next session, I take it out for a few laps. An R1 the SV ain't, but it still can get around a track with pride and I put three good laps on it, trying to push it a bit through turns 2 and 11, the two full-tilt left sweepers that love to eat tires. The feeling I get from the revised spring is subtly better, but only time will tell if it will extend our tire life. I hand the bike over to Graham and Raber for their thoughts. They conclude that it isn't worse, so it must be better, so we decide to stick with it.

Meanwhile, when I turn my attention back to the R1, I notice this odd little drip on the swing arm. Justin sees it at about the same time I do. Battery acid. I wet a rag, and wipe it clear, and we get the seat off to inspect the battery. Sure enough, it's wet in the battery carrier. There weren't any obvious cracks in the case. I noticed the positive terminal was a bit loose when I disconnected it, so we theorize that maybe the poor connection was causing an over-charging condition, and excessive outgassing. We used a rag to diaper the battery, put it back in, and hoped for the best. While it didn't drip the rest of the trip - inspection at home revealed the cover inserted to seal the cells during assembly was leaking just a bit - new battery required - but it didn't stop me this track day.

During the afternoon sessions, I stepped it up a bit, and the last session, we put the bullet cam on the R1. When we go out, I let everyone go, and follow for a couple of laps. Then, in full liter-bike fashion, I said c'ya. It was pretty fun to come up behind John whipping his R6 on the front straight, sit there for a second or two, and then just pop out and walk away. Sorry John - well, not really! I tucked in and pushed it a bit as this was going to be the last session. I hit my top speed for the day, 172 mph indicated heading into turn 1 - a 130 mile an hour "sweeper" - but actually part of the braking chute for turn 2 on an open bike. Two full laps at full-tilt, I come into turn 6 and notice John and Alan off the track. John pushed his line wide when he noticed some track debris, and ran out of track, and in the bumpy gravel alongside, dropped his R6 at about 5 mph. The frame sliders took everything except some very minor decal scratches which would clean up very well. While a downer - certainly not as bad as it could have been - but everyone heads in just the same.

Another successful track day is in the books. Our group pops two cherries with John and Scott getting their knees down for the first time. Graham had a blast on his behemoth VFR. Raber got some relaxing seat time to get ready for the race the next day. Alan went fast on his R6, only riding style kept his knees off the pavement, and the R1 performed very well save the battery issue. The Scott damper made turn exits fun again, the braided brake lines helped bring the beast under control after touching 170 and the Dunlop 209s were flawless in their grip, easily capable of more than I was wanting to dish out this day. Justin got to ride around on the SV and Graham's VFR in the pits. Our setup of the SV took him completely by surprise by turning much quicker than he thought was capable of that bike.

With the day over, it was time to start getting the SV into race trim for the next day. We take the wheels over and have fresh slicks mounted by the Dunlop guys. Medium front and hard rear to hopefully get through the day with out needing a change. We save the rear that Raber used as a spare just in case. In fact, it was in great shape which was giving me hope the new spring was doing it's job. We change the oil and filter adding some fresh Castrol R4. Everything is inspected, bolts checked for tightness, everything reassembled. We keep the fresh rear off in order to do the morning practice on used rubber - there was no sense in putting an extra 12 or 15 laps on it. The fresh wheel would go on just before the start. Everything sealed up, all the street bikes loaded into the trailer, we head back to the hotel for dinner and a well-earned rest. Along the way, we examine some of the video and stills shot during the day. Both were very exciting with some of Denise's shots way good! Megan was shooting film, so those would have to wait until we got back to review. A good meal, and everyone drifts off into the pre-race slumber. Carl and Lorien would make their way out during the evening and meet us in the morning at the track...

Morning is crisp, and everyone gets to the track at their own pace. Raber and Megan get the days worth of fuel, around 30 gallons, and Graham and I get the bike ready. Carl and Lorien make it in, and we immediately give them things to do. We head over and get the bike and our gear teched, and push it down to the endurance pit. Little by little, pit equipment is ferried over to the hot pit that would be our home for 6 hours. At 9:00 AM, we get a hot track, and I take the little SV out for some warm-up. I put 4 laps on it and hand it over to Raber. He does the same, and gives it to Graham, who we call in at around 9:30. Off comes the rear wheel, and on goes the fresh slick. I had secretly hoped we could get it on in time for me to put a lap on it because at race start, it was going to be completely cold. But that was not to be. 9:55 - last call to grid, and I ride it out to my grid position. During the warm-up lap, I try to lean over as much possible without pushing to try to scrub in the shiny rubber. I line up, the flag goes up, and very quickly the green light goes out - starting the race.

I get an okay start, but turn two is a real cluster as everyone throws out the anchor. It allows me to baby it through turn two, but one of the fast SVs gets away. I keep two other SVs in sight, and we mix it up with a couple older 600s. I manage to dispatch everyone except one of the SVs and settle into a rhythm of 1:42s for lap times. Not quite as quick as I had hoped - they will never be - but not bad. After 30 minutes, I start to get some arm pump, and a numb right hand and have to really focus on my throttle control on both braking and acceleration. Braking is painful though... After 45 minutes, I get my pit signal, and hand the bike over to Raber. I look over the bike, especially the rear, and it's looking good.

After the first hour, we get the first position reports, and Team SCR is 9th overall, 3rd in class - not bad. 17 bikes started, and 8 were lightweights. Third place would be great if we could just keep it on two wheels, and not have any major excursions...

Raber's 45 minutes go by quickly and Graham takes his turn. Still the bike is looking good. Andy completes his 45, and I'm off again. Immediately hitting some traffic, it takes 4 or 5 laps to get in a rhythm, but these are 43s, not the 42s of the first shift. I make it work, resolving not to get preoccupied, and focus on putting in laps. About half through my shift, I come in to turn six, and there's a bike sitting in the middle of the track. I wonder if a red flag will come out, but the rider wasn't hurt, and very little liquid is spilled. By the third time around, the bike has been removed. I later find out it was the 669 bike of Team XLSR Racing, who were running 2nd overall and 1st in Lightweight. At the end of my shift we were running 7th overall, 2nd in class. Team XLSR was still making repairs, making their downtime more than 30 minutes. At any rate, it was really fun to have our team singled out in the standing during the 30-minute timing increments.

In order to even out the riding times, we decide to take a risk and go 30 minute shifts each the last 90 minutes of the race. In order to minimize the pit stop, we fill to the brim for Graham's last 45 minute shift, and I take the bike out for my 30 minutes without taking on fuel - just a splash of lube on the chain. I go out, and put in 43s and 44s. The bike is feeling great, pulling just as hard as when I started, over 4 hours earlier. I start to reel in the 1st place LW bike of Team Skagit Powersports, but can't quite get a lap back. They had two on us. The gas light comes on a couple laps before my pit board, and I bring it in - an hour fifteen minutes on the tank with probably 5 laps left in it.

The tank is filled one last time, and Raber is out for his last 30. Shortly afterwards, we hear that Skagit Powersports has pulled in with a mechanical problem. We watch down the pit lane as Michael Paul frantically works on the bike. One of the throttle cables has popped out of the throttle housing, requiring a minor repair. At least ten minutes go by, and Raber is able to put them down by two laps. We are now 5th overall, 1st in Lightweight. Michael heads out determined to try and reel us in. We bring Raber in and Graham goes out to finish the race. My only advice for him is to stay on two wheels, and try not to go off the track! I figure if there are no complications, there shouldn't be any problems. About ten minutes left in the race, Michael gets back onto the same lap as us, chewing into our lead by 7 seconds a lap. At 4:00 PM, the checker flag comes out and Graham brings home for our first endurance win! A six-hour race and we win by 50 seconds! Yeehaa!

The official distance covered was 199 laps - 6 laps better than the same race last year!

The manual score sheets are submitted, the results official, and we hang around for our medals. It's a sweet trip home, with a spectacular sunset, but our own bed doesn't arrive until almost 1:00 AM. Sunday, everyone unloads their bike, gets the street trim back on, and it's back to pedestrian commute duty for most. We survey the damage to John's R6, and confirm that it's all minor cosmetic scratches. There are no broken fairing pieces. However, the 70 series Dunlop that I gave him really did a number on his front fender. It grew enough at speed to interfere with the fender, carving a big vee out of the front. Melted plastic then flew back and stuck to the lowers of his fairing. COOL!

We were given 4 First Place medals, so I gave our spare to Alan for his excellent pit-chief performance. He was the one that organized everyone's position during the stops, kept track of rider track time and kept the gears turning. Justin, who used to be a bike tech at a dealer in Phoenix offers up some wrench time, and does carb syncs for John and Jimmie (a new coffee regular). It starts to rain during the this tech-time, so we throw up the easy-up and make like it's the track. After it was all put away, everyone headed over to Raber's for a barbecue and some race videos. We also get to see Megan's shots from turn two, and they are just as good as the ones Denise took. We threw up the video from the R1 on the track day, and had a great time watching the ease in which it could dispatch the smaller 600s. By 10:00 PM, everyone is pretty much dead on their feet, so we call it a weekend.

The next day, it was my sad duty to run Justin back to the airport for his journey back to Phoenix. It was sad because, it was really fun to have him around, but we didn't get the chance to take him for a ride, which is why I wanted to get him up here. He too, played a major role in our win. The wrenching at the track ensured the SV was at peak performance, and that we didn't miss anything. It was great to get to know someone whose only interactions where through a sport bike internet forum discussing hundreds off the wall topics. Hopefully the trip was worth it for him - and I think it was - and that we'll be able to include in our future adventures. Next up - a Portland 4-hour on September 17th...

Spokane Two-Wheeled Extraveganza...